The Civil War Remembered (Official National Park Service Handbook); Virginia Beach: Donning Co. Publishers, 2011.
"The Civil War era saw not only our greatest military struggle, but also our greatest social revolution and our greatest evolution as a nation." -From the preface of The Civil War Remembered.
This National Park Service handbook provides an excellent overview of a very complex subject. Several noted historians, such as Edward L. Ayers, James Oliver Horton and Carol Reardon, contributed essays describing the Civil War and its many related themes. The book includes a war timeline, an introduction, and fifteen thought provoking essays. A partial list of the essays includes: "The Military Experience," "Emancipation and the Quest for Freedom," "Women Amidst War," "Industry and Economy During the Civil War," and "The Civil War in American Memory." The essays tackle the big issues: the military, politics, race, culture and economics. Any reader wanting a comprehensive and diverse look at the Civil War should read The Civil War Remembered.